Doubles luge video gets mixed response from U.S. team

PHOTO: LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP/Getty ImagesUS Christian Niccum and Jayson Terdiman take part in the training run 4 of the luge doubles during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics at the Sanki Sliding Center in Rosa Khutor on February 10, 2014.

SOCHI, Russia — A popular Canadian video that uses doubles luge to celebrate gay rights at the Olympic Games has received a mixed response from members of the U.S. doubles luge team.

“They’re making fun of our sport for their cause and it doesn’t really make a lot of sense to me,” Christian Niccum told American media after completing two training runs at the Sanki Sliding Center. “If I were to go hug my dad and someone took a picture and showed it in really slow motion, they could use it in a video like that and that’s just ridiculous. It’s my dad. Can’t we show affection to each other without it being some sort of sexual contact? This is sports. It’s the same thing. Why does it have to be like that?”

The video, created by the Canadian Institute of Diversity and Inclusion, shows two lugers preparing to slide down the track — in slow motion, accompanied by the song “Don’t You Want Me, Baby”. A tagline at the end says: “The Games have always been a little gay. Let’s fight to keep it that way.”

Gay rights became a focal point of these Olympics after the Russian government passed a law banning “propaganda” that promotes homosexuality. There is also no Pride House for athletes in Sochi, despite similar establishments having been set up in Vancouver in 2010 and London in 2012.

“When I was 12-years-old I saw doubles and said ‘Ah I really want to do that’,” Niccum said. “There was never a thought in my mind like ‘Oh that’s two guys really close in a sled’. It just looked like fun. It’s only when people get older and they start to get kind of perverted and say other things about it. Doubles is about the teamwork. It’s about two guys working together to go as fast as they can.”

American Preston Griffall — who rides on the bottom of the sled with Matthew Mortensen on top – laughed it off.

“I think it’s funny. Nobody bashes on us more than we bash on ourselves,” he said. “We’re two dudes, laying on top of each other in spandex. Of course people are going to make fun of it.”

Griffall and Mortensen are both members of the U.S. National Guard. The duo enlisted in the World Class Athlete Programme, with the U.S. Army, after completing basic training with the U.S. National Guard in 2010. The programme has helped support them financially and mentally.

Lively discourse is the lifeblood of any healthy democracy and Postmedia encourages readers to engage in robust debates about our stories. But, please, avoid personal attacks and keep your comments respectful and relevant. If you encounter abusive comments, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. This site is using Facebook Comments. Visit our FAQ page for more information.